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Welcome back, RotoBallers! The break is over and it's time for teams to either decide to tank or make a push for the playoffs. We have a hefty 10-game slate ahead of us out of the 12 games. We have a bit of injury news already, but there is bound to be a lot more, so keep an eye out for anything big before locking in your lineups. There should be plenty of value on this slate with it being as big as it is. That being said, let's take down a slate, shall we?
The key to being successful in NBA DFS comes down to making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always really important to have a game plan and the best players and spots circled first before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 2/22/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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Today's NBA DFS Core Picks
Let's first take a look at our premium projections to see who we want to target for our top spend-ups tonight.
As usual, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic top our projected players. I think you can go either way as the Wizards bleed fantasy points to centers, but my worry there is a blowout. So I prefer Luka if you choose to go between either guy.
Tyrese Haliburton looks to finally be getting near full minutes and that was before the All-Star break. I think now is the time to take advantage of him while he is still sub 10K. The Pistons give up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing PGs.
Jalen Brunson is still without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, leaving him to be the star of the team. He gets a juicy matchup against the Embiid-less 76ers, who give up fantasy points like candy to opposing PGs.
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- Luka Doncic, DAL vs. PHX - PG ($12,100 DK; $12,600 FD)
- Tyrese Haliburton, IND vs. DET – PG ($9,400 DK; $9,900 FD)
- Jalen Brunson, NYK at PHI - PG ($9,300 DK; $9,600 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Value Picks
Let's take a look at some of the value plays we have for this small slate.
Bennedict Mathurin has been a little spotty this season, but he tops out value plays today as it was already announced that Aaron Nesmith will be out for this game. This should lead to Mathurin getting some increased minutes as well as his usage, which pops up to a nice 25% when Mathurin doesn't play. If he plays 30+ minutes, he should be in for a solid scoring night.
I'm not usually on a player like Michael Porter Jr., but this is a good situation for him as the Wizards give up the second-most fantasy points to opposing SFs over the last 15 games. That includes a recent matchup against them where he finished with 34 FP. He can be a bit inconsistent, but the spot is too good to pass up at this price.
He isn't popping up on the value board, but after his explosive game against Golden State, at $5,800, I have to take a look at going back to Keyonte George. He finished with 51 FP in 40 minutes and hopefully should continue seeing this increased role as the rookie continues to develop.
Top Value Plays:
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- Bennedict Mathurin, IND vs. DET – SG/SF ($4,500 DK; $5,000 FD)
- Keyonte George, UTA vs. GSW – PG/SG ($4,700 DK; $5,800 FD)
- Michael Porter Jr., DEN vs. WAS – SF/PF ($6,500 DK; $6,100 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard
The PG spot is loaded today and I think is a great spot to spend up in. As I said before, Doncic, Haliburton, and Jalen Brunson all are fantastic options to start your lineups with at PG.
Tre Mann this season:
As a Thunder — As a Hornet —
49 PTS 41 PTS
20 AST 22 AST
3 STL 4 STLHe's only played 3 games for the Hornets. pic.twitter.com/xmqeaBMucA
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 15, 2024
Tre Mann has been lighting it up on his new team, and with LaMelo Ball still out, this should continue. He is starting to get up there in price, so taking advantage while he is sub 7K still is a must. He gets an elite matchup against the Jazz, who are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing PGs over the last 15 games.
Coby White is another player who is popping up in our fantasy projections as one of the best-value PGs even at $7,800. The only problem I see is Boston's defense can be tough, but his usage has been through the roof since Zach LaVine went down.
Top PG Options:
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- Jalen Brunson, NYK at PHI - PG ($9,300 DK; $9,600 FD)
- Tre Mann, CHA vs. UTA - PG ($5,500 DK; $6,600 FD)
- Coby White, CHI vs. BOS - PG ($7,800 DK; $7,800 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard
Jalen Willams has been sneaky good lately and now gets a juicy matchup against the Clippers, who are giving up the second- most fantasy points to opposing SGs. In three of his last four games, he has averaged 45 FP on 35 MPG. His price is getting a bit hefty, but is a solid spend-up option at SG that won't break the bank.
Buddy Hield seems to have found a spot that relies on his shooting and ability to pass the ball. He has averaged 40 FP a game since joining the 76ers. I'm not thrilled about the price as it's a little bit up there, but the minutes are there and he is going to be a big part of this backcourt going forward.
Buddy Hield's on ball value for the Sixers has stood out more than I had expected. Cavs handle Hield screening for Maxey. But watch when Hield gets a screen from Reed you see Allen is at the level. Opens up a roll. Feels key for Sixers during this stretch. pic.twitter.com/Dsg4uFGwBk
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) February 21, 2024
Look back at the value options on why I like Keyonte George.
Top SG Options:
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- Jalen Williams, OKC vs. LAC - SG/SF/PF ($7,000 DK; $7,900 FD)
- Buddy Hield, PHI vs. NYK - SG/SF ($6,700 DK; $7,500 FD)
- Keyonte George, UTA vs. GSW – PG/SG ($4,700 DK; $5,800 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward
Kawhi Leonard is in a favorable matchup with a high total. I like the discount we get on him too compared to Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant. He has averaged around 42 FPPG, but has shown he has the potential for much more, scoring into the 50s and 60s multiple times in recent games.
Heading into tomorrow, over Kawhi Leonard's last 32 games he's shooting 56.4% from the field and 50.3% from three while averaging 26ppg.
The Clippers are 26-6 over this stretch. #KlawforMVP pic.twitter.com/aIqiQAEQNl
— Adam Auslund (@followAdamA) February 22, 2024
Mikal Bridges might be in one of the best spots of the day. The game total isn't high, but Toronto is giving up the most FP to opposing SFs over the last 15 games, leading Bridges into a solid spot to have a monster game. This season, he has averaged about 35 FPPG, but we could see something 40+ out of him tonight.
There is a chance that we won't see Brandon Ingram play as he is questionable with an illness. That being said, this opens up a spot for Trey Murphy III to get an increased role at a nice price. He's been comfortably seeing close to 25-30 minutes a game, and if BI doesn't play, this could be up into the mid-30s while only increasing his usage.
Top SF Options:
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- Kawhi Leonard, LAC at OKC - SF/PF ($8,700 DK; $9,000 FD)
- Mikal Bridges, BKN at TOR - SF ($7,300 DK; $7,700 FD)
- Trey Murphy III, NOP vs. HOU -SF ($4,800 DK; $5,600 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward
Zion Williamson can be a tough one to start just because you never know how many minutes he will end up playing. He seems he's been around 30 minutes a game and now gets a great matchup against Houston, who is giving up the third-most fantasy points to PFs. He is also quite a bit cheaper than a lot of the PFs on this slate.
Check out what I said about MPJ above ^.
This feels wrong to put Grant Williams as an option, but at his price, he is worth a look. Since he was traded to Charlotte, he has averaged 30 FPPG and has become a main option on this young Hornets team. The Jazz have been bleeding points away to opposing PFs and I'll gladly take advantage of that while he is still sub 6K.
Top PF Options:
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- Zion Williamson, NOP vs. HOU – PF ($7,800 DK; $8,200 FD)
- Michael Porter Jr., DEN vs. WAS – SF/PF ($6,500 DK; $6,100 FD)
- Grant Williams, CHA at UTA – PF ($4,500 DK; $5,400 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center
The price is up there, but we have attacked centers against Washington aggressively this season and they haven't let us down. The only thing to be wary of is a possible blowout, which could limit Jokic's potential value. But leaving him off of here wasn't an option.
Myles Turner is an interesting option, as the Pistons have struggled against centers recently. Although Turner isn't your normal center, he still grades as a good option, especially at his price. He has scored in the mid-to-high 30s in four of his last five games and with this game total being the largest on the slate, Turner is a great mid-tier center option.
With No Joel Embiid, Paul Reed is always an option. He has a tough matchup to overcome against the Knicks, but if we see similar minutes to what he had against Miami, we could be getting a near 40 FP player for only $5,900. If you are looking for something on the cheaper side to start at the center, Paul Reed would be my go-to.
Top C Options:
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- Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. WAS - C ($11,600 DK; $12,100 FD)
- Myles Turner, IND vs. DET - C ($6,500 DK; $7,100 FD)
- Paul Reed, PHI vs. NYK - C ($5,900 DK; $6,800 FD)
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Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
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- Pistons at Pacers (247.5 total)
- Suns at Mavericks (243.5 total)
- Clippers at Thunder (237.5 total)
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Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
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- Magic vs. Cavs, besides maybe Donovan Mitchell if he does play. Very low total, much better options.
- Fade all of Washington against the Nuggets.
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My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
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- My favorite overall play on the slate: Tre Mann
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Bennedict Mathurin
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Kawhi Leonard
- My favorite value play: Grant Williams
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